E. Highlands campaign launched

Ngoni Dapira
TOURISM operators in Manicaland last Friday launched the ‘Eastern Highlands Experience’ promotional campaign meant to prop up domestic, regional and international tourist arrivals in the region.

The campaigns steering committee chaired by Vumba’s Kwayedza Lodge proprietor, Mr William Chatigu, consists of his deputy, Mr Leonard Bwanya of Musangano Lodge in Odzi, treasurer, Mr Franky Marembo of Vumba’s White Horse Inn and secretary, Mr Stan Higgins of Aquarius Public Relations, a consultancy firm.

Mr Chatigu said the Eastern Highlands Experience campaign was a collective effort meant to boost arrivals in the region which used to be very encouraging in the 1990s.

He said the prevailing situation in the Eastern Highlands characterised by low tourist arrivals and dwindling room occupancy rates was unsatisfactory.

According to the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority first quarter tourism performance overview for 2015, the domestic market remains the most dominant with a local clientele of 75 percent against 25 percent for foreign.

In 2014, the Eastern Highlands standard occupancy was 32 percent compared to 74 percent in 1999.

Mr Chatigu said regardless of the liquidity challenges bedevilling the domestic tourism sector and the country at large, the Eastern Highlands Experience campaign was targeting a 50 percent increase in tourist arrivals within 18 months.

“During the pre-independence era and in the mid-80s such collective campaigns were conducted and yielded positive results. The tourism boom decade from 1989 to 1999 was a result of such national and regional campaigns . . .

“Although operators in Victoria Falls reported good business in 2014, a number of areas, including the Eastern Highlands are depressed in terms of travel and tourism activity and the short to medium term outlook is bleak in the absence of such action to stimulate greater levels of business,” said Mr Chatigu.

Mr Higgins said the campaign would target self drive visitors who have traditionally been the mainstay of tourism in the Eastern highlands.

He said the absence of direct air service to Mutare from Victoria Falls and Harare has over the years limited desired international tourist arrivals which made regional and domestic tourists their prime target.

“Our target will be our regional self-drive visitors from Southern Africa who declined since the fall-off of tourism from 2000 to 2008 due to the political and socio-economic disturbances in the country during the time . . .

“Traffic into and from Mozambique was also affected in recent years by the resurgence in Renamo activity in that country reducing the number of people travelling between the two countries for leisure and business.

“In the domestic drive individuals, couples, families, people in diplomatic corps, Non-Governmental Organisations and the business community will therefore be part of our target market,” said Mr Higgins.

Mr Chatigu said they would work closely with ZTA to push for Government assistance where needed. Easing congestion at Beitbridge Border post and poor road infrastructures in the Eastern Highlands, Vumba in particular, were cited as key concerns that the committee would immediately engage ZTA on.

Mr Marembo said the subscriptions fees for interested travel and tourism operators would be advertised soon.

“We have adopted a planned and sustainable marketing and promotional campaign that positions the Eastern Highlands as a desirable destination for all potential market segments.

“Money will therefore be required to design and sustain a world-class website , social media pages, e-database, e-fliers, newsletter, DVD, brochures and advertising in both print and electronic media,” said Mr Marembo.

Mr Higgins added that Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) tourism was the long-term vision for the Eastern Highlands.

Under the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality’s 2020 $5 billion economy target, MICE tourism has been earmarked to have huge potential to contribute significantly to the national economy.

Last year, travel writer and MICE expert, Lewis Martin, from United Kingdom who visited the country, said Zimbabwe’s tourism and hospitality industry had potential to generate over $100 million annually from MICE.

Early this year Government started engaging investors to build conference and exhibition facilities that will meet international standards as the tourism industry wants to capitalise on MICE business to grow the sector.

It is believed that MICE tourism rakes in three times more receipts than leisure tourism with knock-on effects on local hotels in terms of revenue generation.